Advancing agriculture through Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in South African indigenous or black communities

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i2.2333

Keywords:

agriculture, Black communities, Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS), South Africa, advancement

Abstract

The primary aim of this scholarly discourse is to demonstrate how South African indigenous people advanced agricultural practices without the dominant aid of globalisation and modernity that, to a certain degree, discredits Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) that have existed from time immemorial. Qualitative research inquiry and IKS are synergetically used as approaches to this scholarly discourse to form juxtaposition and triangulation – a balancing act. The main discussions and findings of the article underline that incontrovertibly, South African indigenous people had their traditional ways of advancing human and social life such as relying on traditional medicine, farming, harvesting and many other determinants. In respect of the problematised phenomenon, the conclusion infuses recommendations for future scholarly debates while the emphasis is on embracing traditional knowledge and avoid continuous and solitary accreditation of neo-liberalist and imperialist notions in South Africa and elsewhere.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Apraku, A., Morton, J.F. and Gyampoh, B.A. (2021). Climate change and small-scale agriculture in Africa: does indigenous knowledge matter? Insights from Kenya and South Africa. Scientific African, 12: e00821. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2021.e00821. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sciaf.2021.e00821

Arcand, M.M., Bradford, L., Worme, D.F., Strickert, G.E., Bear, K., Johnston, A.B.D., Wuttunee, S.M., Gamble, A. and Shewfelt, D. (2020). Sowing a way towards revitalizing Indigenous agriculture: Creating meaning from a forum discussion in Saskatchewan, Canada. Facets, 5(1): 619-641. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1139/facets-2020-0004

Assefa, Y. (2022). Exploring “Intersectoral Collaboration” towards the Integration of Indigenous Knowledge into Adult Education Programs in North Wollo, Ethiopia. Education Research International. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023): 1- 10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5075195. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/5075195

Blackmore, I., Iannotti, L., Rivera, C., Waters, W.F. and Lesorogol, C. (2023). A formative assessment of vulnerability and implications for enhancing livelihood sustainability in Indigenous communities in the Andes of Ecuador. Journal of Rural Studies, 97: 416- 427. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.12.033. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.12.033

Bograd, S.J., Jacox, M.G., Hazen, E.L., Lovecchio, E., Montes, I., Pozo Buil, M., Shannon, L.J., Sydeman, W.J. and Rykaczewski, R.R. (2023). Climate change impacts on eastern boundary upwelling systems. Annual Review of Marine Science, 15. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023). https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-032122-021945. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-marine-032122-021945

Borowski, P.F. (2022). Water and Hydropower—Challenges for the Economy and Enterprises in Times of Climate Change in Africa and Europe. Water, 14(22): 3631. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14223631. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/w14223631

Chen, Q.L., Hu, H.W., He, Z.Y., Cui, L., Zhu, Y.G. and He, J.Z. (2021). Potential of indigenous crop microbiomes for sustainable agriculture. Nature Food, 2(4): 233-240. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00253-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-021-00253-5

Corno, L., La Ferrara, E. and Burns, J. (2022). Interaction, stereotypes, and performance: Evidence from South Africa. American Economic Review, 112(12): 3848-75. https://doi: 10.1257/aer.20181805. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20181805

Corrado, E.W. (2022). Harambee approach: towards decolonising East African education through capturing social-cultural ethos. Journal of the British Academy, 10(2): 135- 152. https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/010s2.135. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/010s2.135

Cronin, M.A. and George, E. 2023. The why and how of the integrative review. Organizational Research Methods, 26(1): 168-192. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428120935507. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094428120935507

Darling, S., Harvey, B. and Hickey, G.M. 2023. From ‘stakeholders’ to rights holders: How approaches to impact assessment affect indigenous participation in the Yukon Territory, Canada. Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 99. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023): 107025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2022.107025. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2022.107025

Diko, M. (2020). Uphononongo nzulu lwamasiko nezithethe kwiincwadi ezichongiweyo zesiXhosa. (Masters Dissertation, Rhodes University). https://commons.ru.ac.za/vital/access/services/Download/vital:38420/SOURCE1?vie w=true.

Diko, M. (2022). Uhlalutyo bunzululwazi ngokomxholo ochongiweyo kwingqokelela yesihobe sikaWelile Shasha ethi Umsila Wembulu. South African Journal of African Languages, 42(3), pp.265-271. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2022.2132689

Diko, M. (2022). SisiXhosa osikhathalele ngantoni na esi ude usindwe ziincwadi ezingaka? Why do you care about isiXhosa so much that you are overwhelmed by so many books?. Southern African Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 40(2): 123-134. https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2021.1999831. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2989/16073614.2021.1999831

Ebhota, W.S. (2021). Leveraging on sustainable energy transition to change the energy narrative of the dark continent. International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023) http://hdl.handle.net/11159/7725.

Hamadani, H., Rashid, S.M., Parrah, J.D., Khan, A.A., Dar, K.A., Ganie, A.A., Gazal, A., Dar, R.A. and Ali, A. (2021). Traditional farming practices and its consequences. Microbiota and Biofertilizers: Ecofriendly Tools for Reclamation of Degraded Soil Environs, 2: 119-128. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3- 030- 61010-4_6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61010-4_6

Han, J., Dong, Y. and Zhang, M. (2021). Chemical fertilizer reduction with organic fertilizer effectively improve soil fertility and microbial community from newly cultivated land in the Loess Plateau of China. Applied Soil Ecology, 165: 103966. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.103966. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2021.103966

Hennink, M. and Kaiser, B.N. (2022). Sample sizes for saturation in qualitative research: A systematic review of empirical tests. Social Science & Medicine, 292: 114523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114523

Henri, D.A., Martinez-Levasseur, L.M., Provencher, J.F., Debets, C.D., Appaqaq, M. and Houde, M. (2022). Engaging Inuit youth in environmental research: Braiding Western science and Indigenous knowledge through school workshops. The Journal of Environmental Education, 53(5): 261-279. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2022.2125926

Iqbal, K.J., Umair, M., Altaf, M., Hussain, T., Ahmad, R.M., Abdeen, S.M.Z.U., Pieroni, A., Abbasi, A.M., Ali, S., Ashraf, S. and Amjad, N. (2023). Cross-cultural diversity analysis: traditional knowledge and uses of freshwater fish species by indigenous peoples of southern Punjab, Pakistan. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, 19(1): 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-022-00573-1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13002-022-00573-1

Jiaxi, W. and Changsong, W. (2023). Representation of Anti-racism and Reconstruction of Black Identity in Black Panther. Media Watch, 14(1): 77-99. https://doi.org/10.1177/09760911221131654. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/09760911221131654

Kok, J.F., Storelvmo, T., Karydis, V.A., Adebiyi, A.A., Mahowald, N.M., Evan, A.T., He, C. and Leung, D.M. (2023). Mineral dust aerosol impacts on global climate and climate change. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment, 1-16. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-022-00379-5. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31223/X5W06R

Kom, Z., Nethengwe, N.S., Mpandeli, S. and Chikoore, H. (2022). Indigenous knowledge indicators employed by farmers for adaptation to climate change in rural South Africa. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 1-16. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023). https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2022.2086854. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2022.2086854

Lewis, L. (2022). Finding the stories: a novice qualitative researcher learns to analyse narrative inquiry data. Nurse researcher, 30(3). (Accessed online: 30 January 2023). https://doi: 10.7748/nr.2018.e1578. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7748/nr.2018.e1578

Li, T., Lu, C., Huang, J., Chen, Y., Zhang, J., Wei, Y., Wang, Y. and Ning, J. (2023). Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the pile fermentation degree of Pu-erh tea. LWT, 173: 114327. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2022.114327

Lidzhegu, Z. and Kabanda, T. (2022). Declining land for subsistence and small-scale farming in South Africa: A case study of Thulamela local municipality. Land Use Policy, 119: 106170. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106170. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106170

Magadlela, A., Zungu, N.S., Khoza, T., Aremu, A.O., Gruz, J. and Pérez-Fernández, M. (2022). Metabolic self-regulation of Pisum sativum L. under varying soil fertility in South Africa. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition, 1-13. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-022-00930-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-022-00930-9

Makate, C. (2020). Local institutions and indigenous knowledge in adoption and scaling of climate-smart agricultural innovations among sub-Saharan smallholder farmers. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, 12(2): 270-287. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-07-2018-0055

Mawdsley, E. (2008). Fu Manchu versus Dr Livingstone in the dark continent? Representing China, Africa and the West in British broadsheet newspapers. Political Geography, 27(5): 509-529. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2008.03.006. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polgeo.2008.03.006

Membele, G.M., Naidu, M. and Mutanga, O. (2022). Using local and indigenous knowledge in selecting indicators for mapping flood vulnerability in informal settlement contexts. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 71, 102836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102836. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2022.102836

Okoye, J. and Oni, K. (2017). Promotion of indigenous food preservation and processing knowledge and the challenge of food security in Africa. Journal of food security, 5(3): 75-87. https://doi:10.12691/jfs-5-3-3.

Pekrun, C., Messelhäuser, M.H., Finck, M., Hartung, K., Möller, K. and Gerhards, R. (2023). Yield, soil Nitrogen content and weed control in six years of conservation agriculture on-farm field trials in Southwest Germany. Soil and Tillage Research, 227: 105615. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2022.105615. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2022.105615

Picture 1. Cattle dung. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023).

Picture 2. Cattle dung. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023).

Picture 3. Croton macrostachyus. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023).

Picture 4. Sativumwas. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023).

Picture 5. Maize drying. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023). https://www.dreamstime.com/dry-maize-field-ready-harvesting-farm-potchefstroom- northwest-south-africa-approximately-million-tons-image187156582.

Picture 6. Contour lines. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023).

Picture 7. Ilima. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023).

Restrepo, N. and Krouse, H.J. (2022). COVID-19 disparities and vaccine hesitancy in Black Americans: What ethical lessons can Be learned?. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 166(6): 1147-1160. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/01945998211065410

Royer, H., Yengue, J.L. and Bech, N. (2023). Urban agriculture and its biodiversity: What is it and what lives in it?. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 346: 108342. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108342

Serote, B., Mokgehle, S., Senyolo, G., du Plooy, C., Hlophe-Ginindza, S., Mpandeli, S., Nhamo, L. and Araya, H. (2023). Exploring the Barriers to the Adoption of Climate- Smart Irrigation Technologies for Sustainable Crop Productivity by Smallholder farmers: Evidence from South Africa. Agriculture, 13(2): 246. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020246. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13020246

Sharma, I.P., Kanta, C., Dwivedi, T. and Rani, R. (2020). Indigenous agricultural practices: A supreme key to maintaining biodiversity. Microbiological Advancements for Higher Altitude Agro-Ecosystems & Sustainability, 91-112. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-1902-4_6

Siddiq, H., Alemi, Q. and Lee, E. (2023). A Qualitative Inquiry of Older Afghan Refugee Women’s Individual and Sociocultural Factors of Health and Health Care Experiences in the United States. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, p.10436596221149692. https://doi.org/10.1177/10436596221149692. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10436596221149692

Soko, N.N., Kaitibie, S. and Ratna, N.N. (2023). Does institutional quality affect the impact of public agricultural spending on food security in Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia?. Global Food Security, 36: 100668. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2022.100668. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2022.100668

South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC). (2020). (Accessed online: 30 January 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYa6YutfZd4.

Suárez-Rojas, C., León, C.J. and Lam-González, Y.E. (2023). What drives you to the sea? Animal rights, environmental protection and sensation seeking. Marine Policy, 147: 105348. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105348. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2022.105348

Thakholi, L. and Koot, S. (2023). Black Belonging, White Belonging: Primitive Accumulation in South Africa's Private Nature Reserves. Antipode. (Accessed online: 30 January 2023). https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12913. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/anti.12913

Truman, S.E. (2023). Undisciplined: Research-creation and what it may offer (traditional) qualitative research methods. Qualitative Inquiry, 29(1): 95-104. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004221098380. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004221098380

Wang, D., Anderson, D.P., Li, K., Guo, Y., Yang, Z. and Pech, R.P. (2021). Predicted population dynamics of an indigenous rodent, Apodemus agrarius, in an agricultural system. Crop Protection, 147: 105683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105683. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cropro.2021.105683

Wec, A.Z., Bornholdt, Z.A., He, S., Herbert, A.S., Goodwin, E., Wirchnianski, A.S., Gunn, B.M., Zhang, Z., Zhu, W., Liu, G. and Abelson, D.M. (2019). Development of a human antibody cocktail that deploys multiple functions to confer pan-ebolavirus protection. Cell host & microbe, 25(1): 39-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.12.004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chom.2018.12.004

Zhang, C., Zhang, W., Du, G., Fu, Q., Mo, J. and Nie, S. (2023). Superhydrophobic cellulosic triboelectric materials for distributed energy harvesting. Chemical Engineering Journal, 452: 139259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.139259. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cej.2022.139259

Downloads

Published

2023-03-25

How to Cite

Diko, M. (2023). Advancing agriculture through Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in South African indigenous or black communities. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147- 4478), 12(2), 267–277. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v12i2.2333

Issue

Section

Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities & Social Sciences